Concerned that the increasing popularity of drones could threaten public safety, San Diego officials plan to join a small group of cities across the nation trying to crack down on irresponsible users.

A proposed ordinance that would give city police the authority to cite reckless users, including those flying the unmanned aerial vehicles near airports and emergency operations, will be presented Wednesday to the City Council’s Public Safety Committee.

The legislation, which has been in the works for more than a year, was prompted by multiple incidents when users flew drones near city airports, including San Diego International, or in the flight path of a city airport.

The proposed legislation mirrors drone regulations created by the Federal Aviation Administration, in contrast to some other cities that have gone beyond the FAA rules in trying to protect privacy rights.

Poway, which was among the first cities in the nation to adopt drone legislation, last fall banned the use of drones when they could interfere with helicopters and aircraft responding to a wildfire or other emergency, a more specific version of an FAA rule prohibiting drones from interfering with emergency responses.

San Diego’s legislation would simply adopt the FAA’s regulations into the city’s municipal code, allowing local law enforcement to issue citations when users violate those regulations, said Lt. Colonel John Valencia, director of the city’s Office of Homeland Security.

“The federal regulations in place are administrative, which means local law enforcement does not have the authority to enforce them,” said Valencia, noting that police can only take down information about a violation and then call the FAA to request an investigation. “Currently, law enforcement can ask a reckless user to stop, but has no authority to issue a citation.”

The FAA regulations the city plans to adopt prohibit operating drones “in a careless or reckless manner,” in violation of FAA flight restrictions or “in a manner that interferes with law enforcement, firefighter, or any other emergency rescue operations.”

The third prohibition would prevent drone owners from trying to shoot video of wildfires, which has prompted officials several times in recent years to ground aircraft dumping water on wildfires from above.

FAA officials have urged cities not to go beyond the federal rules to avoid a “patchwork quilt” of regulations that vary by city and confuse commercial drone operators and people who use the devices as a hobby.

Cities that go beyond the FAA also face questions about the legality of their rules, because federal law preempts local laws in many areas.

The Academy of Model Aeronautics, an advocacy group for drone operators, praised San Diego for not overreaching, but also called the city’s proposed legislation unnecessary.

“I wouldn’t consider this language something that would keep me up at night,” said Chad Budreau, the academy’s director of public relations and government affairs. “I don’t really see this changing anything.”

Budreau said city police already have the authority to cite drone users when they threaten public safety, just as they can cite someone for threatening public safety with a gun or grenade.

But, he said, the new legislation would provide clarity that city police can and should act when they see a drone violating FAA regulations.

Anyone convicted could face a fine of $1,000 or six months in jail if the city treats the violation as a misdemeanor. If it’s treated as an infraction, the fine would be $250 and would increase to $500 for a second violation within the same year.

Budreau said the city would be better off exploring the most effective ways to enforce FAA regulations, rather than passing its own. He said laying city and state ordinances on top of federal law just creates confusion among users.

The city legislation was created by a “working group” of city departments, the San Diego Law Enforcement Coordination Center, the Harbor Police and an FAA representative.

The group analyzed drone laws in Poway, Los Angeles, Berkeley, Miami, Chicago and Pittsburgh, plus possible state of California laws under discussion in Sacramento.

The group was created after multiple local incidents involving airports, Col. Valencia said, including two separate incidents involving Lindbergh Field on Aug. 23, 2015.

First, two crew members on a Delta Airlines flight from Phoenix to San Diego saw a drone off the left side of the plane but did not make any evasive maneuvers because they were already turning away from the drone.

Next, a public school employee flew a drone at high altitude at Point Loma High School attempting to take photos of the school’s roof without realizing the school’s sensitive flight path location.

Two weeks later, there were reports of a drone flying between Gates 23 and 33 of San Diego International.

FAA tracking of drone incidents shows there have also been several at Gillespie Field, Montgomery-Gibbs Field and Brown Field.

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The Sheriff’s Department is using drones to document crime scenes, search for missing people, aid SWAT teams during their operations and for other reasons in dangerous scenarios.

The Sheriff’s Department is using drones to document crime scenes, search for missing people, aid SWAT teams during their operations and for other reasons in dangerous scenarios.